Richter Abend is a half-elf appearing in Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World as the "antagonist".
This is not entirely true, however.

In the first part of the game, the main character, Emil Castagnier, meets Richter. The man encourages Emil to stand up for himself, giving Emil his catchphrase, "Courage is the magic that turns dreams into reality." This came from Richter's deceased friend, Aster. The two were researchers. They'd, in fact, met Ratatosk who was the guardian of the World Tree. Ratatosk had murdered Aster, then later took on his form, creating a fake personality for himself named Emil.
Richter didn't know Emil was actually Ratatosk. Richter wanted to break the barrier in the Ginungugap and bring back Aster with the help of the Centurion Aqua. He would then use himself as a seal on the door, sacrificing himself. So, all in all, Richter isn't a bad person. He just did the right thing the wrong way.